Project Management Services (PMS) left us with an unfinished, poorly done, kitchen area remodel (Project) that has taken an extraordinary length of time and caused extensive damage to our home and property. None of which they will take responsibility for except to demand further payment for the Project.
We hired PMS to remodel a small kitchen area including dining and laundry rooms, about 150 Square feet, which was estimated would take about four weeks. We had acquired the flooring, cabinets, appliances, and fixtures before the Project started.
Nine months later we still cannot unpack the boxes filling our spare bedroom and office and put away our things. Almost four of these months we were put out of our home because of damage they did to it and their subsequent delays.
Before we can put things away we have to finish the installation, repair and touch-up the cabinetry, take apart and reinstall sliding shelf systems and install some replacement pieces. PMS damaged $17,000.00 worth of new cabinetry, installed it improperly and installed defective and damaged pieces. Screws were overturned which left doors hanging and cabinets not anchored to the wall. Holes from multiple attempts to screw the cabinets to the wall were left in the cabinets and walls. Pin nails were left dangerously protruding out of and through wood and trim. Trim is crooked and has gaps and a tall end panel bows out. On some cabinets, the wrong trim was installed. Gouges, dings, dents and scratches exist throughout the cabinetry.
Electricians apprentices working without supervision structurally damaged an outside load-bearing wall of our house. A fifteen-foot horizontal channel six inches wide of structural material was removed. This channel stretched across over one-third our home's length. PMS let our home sit with its structural integrity compromised for over six weeks, during which time heavy equipment came in next door and dug a basement for an addition. PMS was going to blow-in foam to restore the wall.
The same electricians apprentices installed a new large breaker box to have room for more circuits so that the washing machine, dishwasher and refrigerator would not be on the same circuits as anything else. The larger box and the house have the same circuits as they did originally. The difference is that now our electricity does not work properly. Our bathroom lights flicker with the operation of the washing machine, and the kitchen and dining room lights brighten and dim on their own. The recessed lighting which was supposed to have LED bulbs, had incandescent ones in them. The lights heated up the kitchen and the recessed cans heated up the cellulose/shredded paper insulation surrounding them. To prevent a fire we replaced the light bulbs. We have to hire an electrician to redo most of the electrical work.
Everywhere workers went in our home they caused damage. They dug out insulation exposing the ceiling, pulled out exhaust vent and evaporative cooler ducting and removed a fire shield in the attic and they flooded the crawlspace and laundry room. The new bamboo flooring was irreparably damaged, installed anyway and installed incorrectly, twice in the laundry room. It has to be replaced. Our existing oak hardwood floor was never protected. It is scratched, gouged, splintered, embedded with cement in areas and has black streaks in places. It requires refinishing. The appliances were cosmetically and functionally damaged.
Our wood back door and jamb are marred and gouged, and the security door's powder-coated, baked-on finish is scraped and chipped. Glass is scratched, a window anchor is broken off, the brass door seal was torn and the metal door sweep was pulled loose and bent. We had to replace our under sink reverse osmosis water filtration system which they caused to rot and become contaminated. A dust barrier which was supposed to separate and protect our living areas from the work area was removed immediately after demolition and never put back in place despite our pleas to do so. Course dust and debris covered everything. PMS ignored damage and was unwilling to accept responsibility for most of it, much less take care of it.
PMS says that they are dedicated, provide excellent workmanship and that there will be an on-site manager. None of this occurred. No one from PMS was on-site managing the project. No one from PMS was at the house to meet contractors or inspectors. They allowed unfettered access to our home and left it unsecured. We were not allowed to talk with subcontractors doing the work and they could not talk to us. This meant we were not consulted on important matters such as placement of lights and light switches. Information and concerns were miscommunicated or not communicated at all.
Work was unsupervised and unchecked. Work was not getting done or it was getting done improperly and poorly. They considered improper and poor work acceptable. We would discover it afterward as well as work not done according to plans or instructions. When we pointed out shortcomings or deviations we were told, can you live with it? We had to redo most of the plaster work and painting and several other items.
Nothing was organized and they left our home a mess. Contractors and workers could not find parts, pieces and plans. Some misplaced items had been thrown out. Trash and debris were swept into the crawlspace through a hole they had wrongfully cut in the original sub-floor. Trash and debris littered our backyard and patio. Old pieces and parts, scraps and trash sat alongside our home for almost four months. After first questioning whether the trash was theirs, PMS removed it, but only after we asked them.
PMS and subcontractors worked on our Project as if it were a side job. Because of the structural damage and subsequent delay subcontractors had moved on to other jobs. We kept waiting eight months for PMS to finish the kitchen installation.
Then, PMS refused to finish the job or repair damage they caused unless we agreed to sign a new contract and pay extra costs. We did not agree. We did, however, offer to accept the extra costs as long as amounts were deducted to reimburse us for monies we paid out-of-pocket as a result of damage and delays they caused and to compensate us for damage, to finish the job and fix improper work. PMS responded by filing a lien on us.
All we wanted was for them to finish the Project properly and take care of the damage they did to our home and property.
We did not go into a lot of detail here or write an expansive list. After dealing with PMS for almost a year, and in excess of $20,000.00 in damages discovered so far, our experiences and thus examples read like a short chapter book. We strongly recommend against using PMS for any project or service. Research, talk to references, and make sure you have a comprehensive contract before you hire a contractor.
If you or someone you know had problems with a contractor please file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, Attorney's General Office, Consumer Protection Division and other appropriate agencies and organizations. Then, relevant information will be available to help others avoid similar experiences.
Project Management Services Reviews
Project Management Services (PMS) left us with an unfinished, poorly done, kitchen area remodel (Project) that has taken an extraordinary length of time and caused extensive damage to our home and property. None of which they will take responsibility for except to demand further payment for the Project.
We hired PMS to remodel a small kitchen area including dining and laundry rooms, about 150 Square feet, which was estimated would take about four weeks. We had acquired the flooring, cabinets, appliances, and fixtures before the Project started.
Nine months later we still cannot unpack the boxes filling our spare bedroom and office and put away our things. Almost four of these months we were put out of our home because of damage they did to it and their subsequent delays.
Before we can put things away we have to finish the installation, repair and touch-up the cabinetry, take apart and reinstall sliding shelf systems and install some replacement pieces. PMS damaged $17,000.00 worth of new cabinetry, installed it improperly and installed defective and damaged pieces. Screws were overturned which left doors hanging and cabinets not anchored to the wall. Holes from multiple attempts to screw the cabinets to the wall were left in the cabinets and walls. Pin nails were left dangerously protruding out of and through wood and trim. Trim is crooked and has gaps and a tall end panel bows out. On some cabinets, the wrong trim was installed. Gouges, dings, dents and scratches exist throughout the cabinetry.
Electricians apprentices working without supervision structurally damaged an outside load-bearing wall of our house. A fifteen-foot horizontal channel six inches wide of structural material was removed. This channel stretched across over one-third our home's length. PMS let our home sit with its structural integrity compromised for over six weeks, during which time heavy equipment came in next door and dug a basement for an addition. PMS was going to blow-in foam to restore the wall.
The same electricians apprentices installed a new large breaker box to have room for more circuits so that the washing machine, dishwasher and refrigerator would not be on the same circuits as anything else. The larger box and the house have the same circuits as they did originally. The difference is that now our electricity does not work properly. Our bathroom lights flicker with the operation of the washing machine, and the kitchen and dining room lights brighten and dim on their own. The recessed lighting which was supposed to have LED bulbs, had incandescent ones in them. The lights heated up the kitchen and the recessed cans heated up the cellulose/shredded paper insulation surrounding them. To prevent a fire we replaced the light bulbs. We have to hire an electrician to redo most of the electrical work.
Everywhere workers went in our home they caused damage. They dug out insulation exposing the ceiling, pulled out exhaust vent and evaporative cooler ducting and removed a fire shield in the attic and they flooded the crawlspace and laundry room. The new bamboo flooring was irreparably damaged, installed anyway and installed incorrectly, twice in the laundry room. It has to be replaced. Our existing oak hardwood floor was never protected. It is scratched, gouged, splintered, embedded with cement in areas and has black streaks in places. It requires refinishing. The appliances were cosmetically and functionally damaged.
Our wood back door and jamb are marred and gouged, and the security door's powder-coated, baked-on finish is scraped and chipped. Glass is scratched, a window anchor is broken off, the brass door seal was torn and the metal door sweep was pulled loose and bent. We had to replace our under sink reverse osmosis water filtration system which they caused to rot and become contaminated. A dust barrier which was supposed to separate and protect our living areas from the work area was removed immediately after demolition and never put back in place despite our pleas to do so. Course dust and debris covered everything. PMS ignored damage and was unwilling to accept responsibility for most of it, much less take care of it.
PMS says that they are dedicated, provide excellent workmanship and that there will be an on-site manager. None of this occurred. No one from PMS was on-site managing the project. No one from PMS was at the house to meet contractors or inspectors. They allowed unfettered access to our home and left it unsecured. We were not allowed to talk with subcontractors doing the work and they could not talk to us. This meant we were not consulted on important matters such as placement of lights and light switches. Information and concerns were miscommunicated or not communicated at all.
Work was unsupervised and unchecked. Work was not getting done or it was getting done improperly and poorly. They considered improper and poor work acceptable. We would discover it afterward as well as work not done according to plans or instructions. When we pointed out shortcomings or deviations we were told, can you live with it? We had to redo most of the plaster work and painting and several other items.
Nothing was organized and they left our home a mess. Contractors and workers could not find parts, pieces and plans. Some misplaced items had been thrown out. Trash and debris were swept into the crawlspace through a hole they had wrongfully cut in the original sub-floor. Trash and debris littered our backyard and patio. Old pieces and parts, scraps and trash sat alongside our home for almost four months. After first questioning whether the trash was theirs, PMS removed it, but only after we asked them.
PMS and subcontractors worked on our Project as if it were a side job. Because of the structural damage and subsequent delay subcontractors had moved on to other jobs. We kept waiting eight months for PMS to finish the kitchen installation.
Then, PMS refused to finish the job or repair damage they caused unless we agreed to sign a new contract and pay extra costs. We did not agree. We did, however, offer to accept the extra costs as long as amounts were deducted to reimburse us for monies we paid out-of-pocket as a result of damage and delays they caused and to compensate us for damage, to finish the job and fix improper work. PMS responded by filing a lien on us.
All we wanted was for them to finish the Project properly and take care of the damage they did to our home and property.
We did not go into a lot of detail here or write an expansive list. After dealing with PMS for almost a year, and in excess of $20,000.00 in damages discovered so far, our experiences and thus examples read like a short chapter book. We strongly recommend against using PMS for any project or service. Research, talk to references, and make sure you have a comprehensive contract before you hire a contractor.
If you or someone you know had problems with a contractor please file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, Attorney's General Office, Consumer Protection Division and other appropriate agencies and organizations. Then, relevant information will be available to help others avoid similar experiences.